NEWS FROM THE FARM: ARCHIVE - September, 2009


September, 2009
September has been a fantastic month! We've had some of the most glorious, warm sunny later summer / early fall days but also some very chilly nights. Temps have dipped below freezing, and while we haven't had a killing frost yet, the cool nights and light frost have brought an end to some of the tender vegetables - such as the members of the curcubit family. It was a poor year for summer and winter squash both, so it was a bit of a relief to turn under those beds and sow winter rye. Better luck next year... Other tender things like peppers, eggplant and basil have survived cool nights with a simple covering of blankets or remay.
The fall veggies are delicous this year! The yellow onions and garlic were pulled in late August and produced a high yield. We're enjoying the kale, fennel, broccoli raab, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, and leeks to name a few. There is still much to be had before the season is over: head lettuce, swiss chard, asian greens, cabbage, fava beans, eggplant, peppers, turnips, and fresh herbs. Thanks to the hoophouse we're still getting tomatoes but the cool temps have slowed the ripening process. It may be time to pull out the recipe for fried green tomatoes!

Kevin and I harvested honey from our hives last week. The bees had a rough season, too. They weren't really given much of a chance to begin foraging until July! Many fellow beekeepers that we know were feeding their bees right up into the summer months. That said, we were able to pull 34 pounds of honey this year. The color is 2 to 3 shades lighter than the honey we harvested in 2008 - we guess that it may be due to the vast amounts of jewel weed this year. The flavor is yummy: herbal and a bit spicy!

The season is winding down. The change of season brings a bit of melancholy for the end of another summer, but fall is undoubtedly the most wonderful time of the year. This has been a very difficult farming season and there's a part of me that's happy to put it in the past.

So for today there's still plenty to harvest, plenty of housekeeping before snow flies, time to sow winter cover crops on the bare ground and continue putting the harvest by for the winter.

 

 

Soon it will be time to gather winter reading material and seed catalogs, stack wood, put the young fruit trees to bed for the winter, and dream of a great season in 2010.

Trish


News Archive

August, 2009  
July, 2009  
June, 2009  
May, 2009  
April, 2009